Carpal tunnel syndrome surgery at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals Murrayfield and Shawfair Park

Spire Edinburgh Hospitals has been caring for patients privately across Scotland and beyond since 1984. You’ll be able to choose from a team of experienced consultants who provide carpal tunnel surgery and personalised aftercare to help you get back to normal as fast as possible.

At Spire Edinburgh Hospitals, our consultants have extensive experience of performing carpal tunnel release surgery.

Our consultants typically offer open release surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. During surgery, your consultant will make an incision (cut) so they can see inside your wrist and cut the transverse carpal ligament.

Getting here

Carpal tunnel surgery is carried out at both Spire Murrayfield Hospital and Spire Shawfair Park Hospital. Our Spire Murrayfield Hospital is an approximate 20 minute drive east from Edinburgh Airport or 10 minutes west from Haymarket train station. Spire Shawfair Park Hospital is to the south east of Edinburgh city centre, conveniently located close to the City Bypass and the Royal Infirmary.

Both hospitals have free on-site parking for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

You’ll be able to have your first appointment within a few days of your enquiry. Your surgeon will examine your wrist, ask about your symptoms and discuss your medical history. They may also talk about other treatments you could try before deciding on surgery if you haven’t already, such as painkillers and wrist splints.

Your consultant will tell you more about what carpal tunnel surgery involves, including:

• Tests you may need beforehand such as a nerve conduction test or an ultrasound scan
• What the procedure involves
• The anaesthetic (which is usually local)
• Risks and complications of surgery

Here’s what to expect after you arrive:

• You’ll meet your surgical team and anaesthetist
• You’ll be given a local anaesthetic, so you’ll stay awake but won’t be able to feel anything in your wrist or hand
• Your surgeon will make an incision then carry out the operation to cut your ligament, which sits across the front of your wrist, using the technique you agreed previously
• Your operation will take around 20 minutes

You’ll be able to go home on the same day of your operation.

Everyone’s different, so how long it takes to recover from your surgery will depend on your general health and how severe your carpal tunnel syndrome is.

Although everybody's different and you should always follow your consultant's advice, here's a typical recovery timeline for carpal tunnel surgery: